Trying To Find My Place
by ccootttt
Summary: Next in my series after 'Mysery at the Wilson's place'. Relationships in the gang are still strained by recent events, and things only seem to be getting worse. Are the gang at risk of breaking up for good?
1. Distance

Sighing heavily, Daphne trudged down the large staircase, her bag dragging on the floor. It had been three months since they ad solved the mystery for the Wilsons, which meant three months since the fall out with the gang. She didn't mean for it to turn out this way, she just thought she needed some time out from the drama each mystery seemed to carry, but it obviously hadn't gone down too well. Shaggy and Velma still spoke to her, even if they were a little off, and Scooby was just as happy as always to see her, but Fred...Fred was different. Things had gone terribly between them and when they were in the same room, the tension was unmistakeable. They both seemed to be as bad as one an other when it came down to it, neither one of them wanting to be the first to apologise or show any sign of weakness; they were both too stubborn for that.

Now, as Daphne trudged down the stairs, she listened to her parents happily catting in the dining room, laughing and joking and acting like newly weds once again. Daphne, having experience with things like this, noted that they had been like this since she stopped spending as much time with the gang, it was making them a lot more carefree and less controlling. It made Daphne smile seeing them like this, getting on so well and hardly ever complaining about anything, it almost made up for the damage she suffered to her social life. They had definitely been much more lenient with her than before, and they adored Jonathan.

With a small smile lingering on her lips, Daphne wandered into the dining room, sitting down at the table to a waiting slice of toast and a glass of fresh orange juice. Absent mindedly taking a bite of her toast, she looked across the table at her parents, who were sat as close as they could get, her Father's hand gently resting atop her Mothers as they smiled lovingly at each other. Lost in her own little world, Daphne was only brought back to her senses by a car beeping outside, "Oh!" She exclaimed, "Jonathan's here!"

Glancing at her, Mrs. Blake smiled warmly, "Have a nice day sweetie."

Simply smiling in response, Daphne bounded out of the large front doors and hopped into the passenger seat of Jonathan's red sports car. "Morning Daph." He greeted, leaning in to kiss her lightly on the cheek.

Blushing a little, she found herself smiling foolishly, "Morning Johnny."

Grinning at her, he pulled out of the driveway and set off to school, occasionally turning to look at the beautiful red head beside him. They reached the school after about 20 minutes of driving and just generally chatting about nonsense that they both found hilarious, and stepped out of of the car. Flicking her hair over one shoulder, Daphne smiled as she felt Jonathan's arm snake around her waist and pull her in closer to him.

They were early, as usual, and it seemed to be a pleasant day, so the pair strolled over to a bench in the garden area of the school. It wasn't a big area, just a small park like square with a few benches, trees and a fountain in the centre, but it had gradually become one of the couples favourite places. Resting her head on Jonathan's chest, Daphne sighed contently and wrapped her arm around is back. The two of them didn't need to speak all the time when they were together, just each others company was enough as they sat in the morning sun, the breeze picking up around their ankles. Then something caught Daphne's attention.

A car door slammed shut, well, actually, it was a van door. Blinking to clear the colourful dots the dun had left n her eyes, Daphne focused on the source of the noise, her lips curling up in disgust as she did so. Sauntering out of the Mystery Machine, Fred had two girls, one on either side, with an arm around each of them. She recognised the two as girls in a few of her classes, but she couldn't quite think of their names, the same problem Fred probably had with them. Feeling a tingle of jealousy run through her veins, she closed her eyes and cuddled in closer to Jonathan, savouring the fact that she had him all to herself. She couldn't help but notice how Fred ad been acting since the argument, he seemed to have turned back into the jock he ad been when they first met; egocentric and basically just a jerk. He'd taken multiple girls on dates, but tats all it was to him, a date. Daphne had often wondered if he's been trying to make her jealous, but she put that down to wishful thinking.

Glancing at the watch on Jonathan's wrist, she sat up, stretching as he smirked at her, "What?" She quizzed.

"Fred." He said simply, grinning as he watched her furrow her brow in confusion.

"What about him?" She asked standing up.

Still smirking, he stood up and gripped her around the waist, pulling her into him, "He thinks he's so cool with all of these girls." He paused, still watching her stare at him, "But I have the best one right here." He finished, pressing his lips gently to hers.

He could feel her grin as he kissed her, keeping his eyes open to watch the soft pink in her cheeks grow a little darker as her eyelashes fluttered. Breaking apart, Daphne looked at the ground, her cheeks still red, "You're so cheesy." She mocked before gripping his hand and leading him towards the school entrance.

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Red herring stood at is locker, grinning mischievously as he watched Velma walking down the corridor. He was leaning against the lockers, grinning at his two friends as the small girl hurried down the hall. Sniggering, he stuck out his foot and tripped her up, snorting with laughter as her glasses flew across the floor. "Whoops."

"My glasses!" Velma moaned, patting the floor in front of her, "I can't see a thing!"

Still laughing, Red picked up the thick framed glasses from the ground, "Oh gee Velma, I have no idea where they are."

Squinting, she continued to fumble around on the floor, "Please Red I really need them." Velma pleaded.

"Hmm, what do you say guys, shall we give dorky Dinkley her glasses back?" Red asked the two thugs stood with him.

"No!" The chorused, laughing cruelly at her.

A sly smile oh his face, Red bent down and put his arm around Velma's shoulders, "Aww wells that's not nice guys." He said softly, causing Velma to stiffen in his arms, "I think we should give them her back, you know, for some information."

"Like what?" Velma asked, standing up with Red as she reached up for the glasses her held above her head.

"How's your fit mate doing?" He chuckled.

"What?" Velma mumbled, jumping for her glasses.

"You know, Daphne, how is she these days." he grinned.

Jumping again, Velma grunted, "Fine."

"Good..." Red smiled, "And what size would you say her boobs are?" He suddenly sneered, pushing Velma back down as she tried to jump again.

Gasping, Velma stared at the blurry Red herring in awe, "_What?"_

"Come on, you're her best friend, you gotta know." He laughed, causing the two boys with him to cheer and whistle idiotically.

"Like, Give her glasses back, man." Shaggy croaked from the end of the corridor.

All attention turned to the lanky boy as Red gritted his teeth. Shaggy looked scared to death as he confronted them, but he felt he had to, considering how they were treating Velma, and how personal the things they were asking. "Like hey, It's Rodgers." One of the goons laughed.

"Yeah Red, let get him instead!" The other added.

Smiling cruelly, he dropped Velma's glasses, "Alright guys, we can catch up wit Dinkley later." He said before running down the hall after Shaggy."

Listening to them run away, Velma resumed searching for her glasses when she heard another set of footsteps. Groaning, she felt her glasses and picked them up, only to find they had been smashed. "Oh jinkies..." She muttered.

"Velma!" A female voice suddenly cried out, "What happened!"

Recognising the voice as Daphne's, Velma looked up at the orange and purple blur, "Oh hey Daph," she mumbled, seeing a darker figure behind her and guessing it was Jonathan, "Red broke my glasses." She finished, holding out the broken spectacles.

"Oh..." Daphne whined as she guided Velma to her feet.

"Don't worry, I have another pair in my lockers, I'm more worried about Shaggy." She blabbered quickly.

Eyes widening, Daphne looked from Velma to Jonathan, "How come Velms?"

"They cased him off when he tried to help me, probably still chasing him now." She sighed.

"Which way?" Jonathan asked, clenching his fists.

Pointing to the end of the corridor, Velma squinted at him, "That way." She said, and before she knew it, he was off running the same way Red and his goons chased Shaggy.

Looking down at Velma, Daphne smiled softly, "Come on Velma, we'll go get your other pair of glasses."

_Author's Note: Hayy, I started the next story in the series! :D But don't expect any updates too soon, I've got a lot coming up in the next few weeks so please be patient xD _

_Also, for those of you who care, follow me on twitter to find out what I'm doing and why it's taing so long for me to write anything! XD /#!/ElmoSpike_

_Don't forget to review! :D_


	2. Bruised and Beaten

Trudging into their chemistry room Velma slumped down onto he stool, resting her forehead on the desk. Perching on her own stool at the desk in front of Velma, Daphne sighed and turned to face her small friend, "Velms, you okay?"

"Hmm..." Velma murmured, raising her head slowly, "It's just...Well Red can't really get to you any more, you know, 'cause of Jonathan...So, I think he's taking it out on me and Shaggy."

Tossing her hair to one side, Daphne scowled, "Well, he's always been a coward, won't pick on anyone his own size."

"Tell me about it." Velma muttered, watching Fred stroll into the class and take his seat at the desk behind hers, "Hey Fred." She greeted, noticing how Daphne started looking at the displays in the room as Fred turned to smile at them.

"Hey Velma," He paused, scratching the back of his head, "Uhh, hi Daph..."

Glancing at him, she smiled weakly, "Hello Fred." She said quickly before diverting her attention once again.

Trying his best to shrug it off, he smiled at Velma again, "So Velms, you still okay to come down to the harbour tonight?"

"Of Course!" Velma beamed, "We'll have this mystery wrapped up in no time!"

Rolling her eyes, Daphne turned to the front of he class, resting her head on her hand as she watched the clock, '_I wonder where Jonathan and Shaggy are?' _she thought to herself as she tapped her pen on the desk. She could still hear Fred and Velma's consistent ramblings about the sea monster down by the docks, although she couldn't help the twinge on curiosity from taking it's effect on her. Biting her lip, she listened intently to the things they had already found out, the things they found out _without _her. Sighing inwardly, she didn't notice Jonathan enter the room until his arm was around her waist.

Gasping, she jumped away from him, almost falling off her stool. "O-Oh God Jonathan you scared me then." She breathed.

"S-Sorry Daphne..." He apologised, "I know how jumpy you can get." She said softly, picking up her hand.

Smiling warmly at him, her breath now steadying itself, she pulled her stool closer to his, "It's not your fault..." She said quietly.

"No, no, I should know by now." He sighed.

Leaning in closer to him, Daphne smiled at him again, her nose brushing his, "And I should have calmed down by now..." She said gently before pressing her lips to his.

Pulling away, she looked through her lashed at Jonathan and covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. She looked at his gradually bruising cheekbone and let her mouth hang open, wondering how she'd missed it moments ago. Reaching out to touch it, she felt Jonathan grip her wrist as he shook his head, "Daph don't, it's still sore." He said, blushing slightly as he let her go.

"W-What happened?" She asked, oblivious to the fact that Fred and Velma were now staring at them, Fred smiling smugly. Her eyes scanned his bare arms for any other signs of injury, coming to rest on a few red marks, but nothing more.

Glancing at Velma, he sat back a little, "Well, I found Shaggy," He paused, lowering his gaze, "and Red."

Eyes wide, Velma leaned forward, "Jinkies! Is he okay!"

Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, Jonathan sighed, "He's with the nurse, Red's friends were there too, three against two isn't really fair."

"Just the way Red likes it." Daphne hissed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Fred sat back, watching the scene unfold before him. He felt the sickness rising in his stomach as he watched Daphne hold Joanthan's hand as he told her and Velma about what had happened. He was being pushed out, he was sure of it. Jonathan was replacing him, even if he didn't mean to, he was. All of the gang loved him, and even if he wasn't solving mysteries with them, he was still turning into one of Shaggy and Velma's good friends. Honestly, it scared him. After already losing Daphne to the dark haired boy, he felt hollow inside and just wanted to make her feel the same way, but she obviously didn't, and now, it looked like he might be losing the rest of the gang too.

Not wanting to seem bothered by suddenly being cut out of the conversation, Fred pulled out his phone and lightly ran his fingers along the buttons as if he were sending a message to someone. "Oh Johnny, you're _so_ brave." he heard Daphne coo and looked up. Sighing, he put his phone away as the teacher walked into the room, mumbling apologies about being late.

For Fred, the lesson seemed to drag on from this point; Velma was too busy taking notes to talk and Daphne, well, she was too busy with Jonathan. He had tried to speak to her, a number of times actually, but Daphne was the type of girl to hold a grudge and at the moment, she really had a problem with him. It wasn't that she hated him, she was still unsure of her feelings for Fred, but after what he said to her, how he treated her, she couldn't let him get away with it unscathed.

Around half way through the lesson, Shaggy crept into the room, immediately silencing the room as everyone stared at him. After having a quiet word with the teacher he quickly made his way over to his seat next to Velma, bowing his head. Quiet murmurs filled the room as Shaggy kept his head down, hiding his red, swollen eye and busted lip. "Like Velms," He said softly, "can I borrow a pen?"

"Sure." She replied, "A-Are you okay?"

Sighing heavily, he took the pen in his hand and started doodling on his notebook, "I-I just don't want to talk about it right now, okay Velma."

Daphne, Jonathan and Fred all watched as Shaggy continued to scribble in his notebook as Velma frowned worriedly at him, "Okay Shaggy..." She said gently before returning to her own work.

"Two weeks detention!" Red bellowed, "It's just not fair, I was only messing around!" The two thugs followed him through the hall, dragging their feet as they watched him slam his fist against a locker and come to a sudden halt. "It's all that damn Jonathan's fault!"

Leaning against a locker, Andy, one of Red's brutes, cracked his knuckles, "I say we get him after school."

The other boy, Pete, nodded in agreement, "Yeah Red, he's gotta stay behind too, he'll be a sitting duck!"

Grinning, Red turned and began to walk again, the two boys following, "You know, that's a pretty god idea..." his voice trailed off as he turned a corner, "...and is face will be so messed Daphne won't give him a second look."

"I don't know why you're still bothering about her," Andy mumbled, "I mean is she really worth it?"

Spinning around to face Andy, Red pointed a finger at him, "It's not about her being worth it, she should be mine." He paused, slowly lowering is finger, "She's a trophy... A prize... A sign of status."

"Daph I'm sorry, but I have to stay behind." Jonathan groaned as he let go of Daphne's hand.

Sighing, Daphne rolled her eyes, "I don't see why you have to stay behind, you only defended Shaggy."

"Yeah well, I still got into a fight, and according to the school I have to be punished." Joanthan muttered.

Looking at the floor, Daphne sniffed, "Fine, I'll wait in the library until you get out."

"Okay the, but just try and forget about it for now, we still have the rest of the day to go." e smiled suddenly at her, "Cheer up."

Daphne turned on her heel and wandered over to the bench, "I'm not in a very cheerful mood today." She mumbled.

Laughing, he gripped her around the waist before she had chance to sit down and pulled her into him, "Hey, if anyone should be in a bad mood it should be me." He nuzzled her neck and heard her giggle softly.

The rest of the day went by far too quickly and before they knew it, it was the end of the school day and time for Jonathan to go to detention. Daphne headed for the library and Mystery Inc. headed for the harbour.

Jonathan dragged himself into the class room and slumped in his seat, propping his head up on his hand. He watched the room fill up, and finally, Red and his two friends swaggered inside. They sat right at the back, and Jonathan was relieved that he'd chosen a seat near the front. Soon enough, the door was closed and the room was silent as the tall, muscular physical education teacher stood, his watchful eyes scanning the teenagers. Fixing his eyes on the clock, Jonathan watched the seconds pass by, convinced that time had suddenly slowed down. A minute seemed like an eternity as his eyes began to water a little.

He jumped as the shrill sound of the bell echoed through the corridors outside and leaped out of his seat. He was out of the door as soon as possible and practically running towards the library to meet Daphne.

Bursting through the door, he spotted Daphne at a table in the corner, reading a Sherlock Holmes book. Strolling over to her, he watched as she didn't seem to notice anyone was there and continued to read. The light shone through the frosted glass of the window, giving her a glowing complexion and making her hair seem to be a more vibrant shade of red; it was a picture worthy of being framed and placed in a gallery. Once he reached her, her tapped her gently on the shoulder, causing her to let out a small cry and drop her book, "Hey Daph."

Steadying her breathing, she picked up the book with a shaky hand, "You really need to stop doing that."

"Sorry." He apologised and pulled the book from her slender fingers, placing it back on the shelf.

Smiling at him,she stood up and pulled her bag over her shoulder, "It's fine, come on lets go."

Walking out of the school hand in hand, the couple laughed together as they headed for Jonathan's car. At the car, Jonathan fished in his pocket for his keys when a rock scarcely missed his head and hit the car door. "What the-"

"Uh, Jonathan..." Daphne interrupted, "Open the car...Now."

He looked up at her, confused. "What...Why?" He saw Daphne's wide eyes and an uneasy feeling crept up on him as he realised that she was looking at something behind him.

_Author's Note: Okay, so I'm really sorry about the wait, but I have been extremely busy lately; it seems I underestimated how much work college would be, especially now that I'm thinking about Cambridge Uni, which will basically crush any chance of writing fiction on a regular basis x.x_

_So I do apologise for the inconsistent updates, I have no idea how long it will take me to upload any more, but I'll write a bit every now and again when I get chance :)_

_And as always, please review if you get the chance :)_


	3. The Chase

"Not again." Daphne whimpered as she tugged at the handle on the car door, "Open the car Johnny."

He could hear the slight panic in her voice as she pulled the door, but he was too busy watching Red and Andy approach them to take any notice of her. "What do you want, Red?" He growled.

"I just came to straighten things out between us Johnny." He grinned, cracking his knuckles, "First thing; I'm the top dog around here." He clicked his fingers and to Jonathan's horror, he heard a high pitched squeal from behind him.

Turning around, he gasped as he saw Pete holding Daphne in place from behind, "Daphne!"

"L-Let me go or I'll scream!" Daphne breathed.

Chuckling, Pete tightened his grip, "Fine by me."

"Hurt her and you won't walk for a year." Jonathan spat before Daphne had chance to scream.

"Ohh, touchy aren't we?" Red mocked, moving closer to Jonathan.

In one swift movement Jonathan had Red by the throat. "Leave her alone."

Spluttering, Red swung for Jonathan a number of times, but missed each time. Andy stepped in and punched Jonathan in the side, causing him to let go of Red. Daphne watched the three brawl as she struggled in Pete's strong arms, "Let me go you brute!" She shrieked before slamming the heel of her shoe into his foot.

"You bitch!" Pete yelled as he threw her to the ground and lifted his foot, "That hurt!"

Breathing heavily, Daphne pounced at Red, clawing at his face as she dragged him off of Jonathan. He too shouted obscenities at her but she ignored them, her mind set on not letting him get a firm enough grip on her to do too much damage. Jonathan took this opportunity to knock Andy to the ground and quickly gripped Daphne by the wrist and pulled her to the car as he unlocked the doors. Shoving her into the back seat, he slammed the door shut and hopped into the driver's seat.

Daphne pushed herself up as she heard a high pitched scraping noise piercing her ears. "What is that?" She groaned, covering her ears. She turned her head to see Red grinning at her, the noise suddenly stopping as he held up his own car key. "...Oh." She mumbled, swiftly pushing the lock on the door down.

She watched Jonathan grinding his teeth and he started the car and raced out of the car park, "Dammit, I bet he's the one who keeps scratching my car."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Daphne sighed, clambering into the front seat, "You should really tell the police."

Moaning Jonathan closed his eyes, "I'm not getting my Mum involved in this Daph, you know what she can be like."

Rolling her eyes, Daphne puled the seatbelt around her, "All Mums worry Jonathan."

"Your Mum has a reason to worry, mine doesn't." He sighed.

"Gee, thanks." Daphne muttered, flicked the hair from her face.

Tightening his grip on the wheel Jonathan looked at her, "You know what I mean Daph, I'm not a kid any more!"

"Well neither am I!" Daphne almost shouted.

"For God sake Daph I don't want to argue with you!" Jonathan retaliated.

"Well I Don't want to either but I hate it when you say things like that!" Daphne yelled, tears springing to her eyes. "Why does everyone have to treat me like a child!"

"I'm Not!" Jonathan protested, "I was just saying-"

A rock hit the back window and caused the pair to look back. Daphne turned to face Jonathan as he pressed down on the accelerator, his eyes on the rear view mirror. "J-Johnny." Daphne said gently, "Try and lose them."

Another rock hit the roof of the car as Andy hung out of the window of Red's car, which was gaining on them. "I will," He murmured, "just don't look back at them."

"Okay." Daphne said meekly as she settled restlessly in her seat. Jonathan hand rested on her knee as she held it tightly in her own, her nerves becoming ear as she began to squeeze it tighter. "Head towards the Mall," She whispered, barely moving her lips, "they can't do anything around there,it's too busy."

Nodding, Jonathan smiled reassuringly at her and turned the corner. "We'll take the long way 'round, just to be safe."

The gap between them and Red became bigger as Red realised what they were doing and slowed down a little. Daphne loosened her grip on Jonathan and sighed, "Sorry for snapping."

"It's fine." He said softly, but Daphne could see that the tension was still there.

They continued driving for a long time and eventually Red's car was gone from sight. The pair hadn't spoken again the entire drive, until Daphne suggested they stop and get some air. Now they were stood just a few minutes walk from the docks as they stood, huddled together breathing in the saltly air.

Resting her head on Jonathan's shoulder, Daphne's gaze shifted from the sea to a shack on the sand below. Blinking a few times, she squinted and spotted the familiar orange jumper, "Hey It's Velma!" She chirped, pointing to the orange blur in the distance.

Jonathan tipped his head to one side, "Oh, yeah it is." He pulled her closer to him by the waist, "You want to go down?"

Smiling sweetly, Daphne wrapped her arms around his neck, "Sure, but lets just stay here a minute longer."

Jonathan smiled, "Okay." He leaned in closer to her, their noses brushing a moment before he closed the gap.

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"Jinkies!" Velma gasped as she picked up a piece of cloth, "Fred look at this!"

Fred hurried over, taking the material from Velma, "well, well," he grinned, "It's the same colour as that sea monster."

"Like, maybe the monster wanted something to like, complement it's skin tone." Shaggy suggested, Scooby nodding in agreement at his side.

"Hmmm, I don't think so guys." Velma laughed.

Fred narrowed his eyes, "We need to work out what type of fabric this is." He stated.

"Like, isn't that Daphne's area of expertise?" Shaggy noted, scratching Scooby on the head.

Velma nodded, "You're right about that." Velma murmured.

"Then like, I guess it's lucky she's, like, right there with Jonathan." Shaggy chuckled, pointing behind Fred and Velma.

Fred and Velma turned to see Daphne and Jonathan strolling towards them. "Hey!" She shouted, waving at them.

Rolling his eyes, Fred looked at Velma, "We don't need her help." He insisted, "We'll look it up later."

Velma sighed, "Hey Daph!" she shouted back, "Can you help us work out what fabric this is!"

Shaggy chuckled again, "Like Scoob, I think we know who the boss is in this team."

"Reah." Scooby laughed, earning a harsh glare from their blonde friend.

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_Author's Note: I've had this mostly written for a while now, I've just added a bit more to the end and that's all! Totally forgot I had this!_

_Anyway, please review to tell me what you think! ^-^_


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